The man you thought you knew
by Kingsforcedvacation
Summary: Kaito was killed and reborn as Bruce Wayne. Now to find a piece of information the Justice Leauge an four villans have to journey through the mind of the former phantom thief. Let's hope they make it out in one piece. Dark.
1. Into his mind chapter 1

Chapter 1

No ones POV

"Where are we?" Wonder Woman asked as the white light around her dissipated.

"I don't know," Superman said from behind her with Martian Manhunter and Flash by his side.

They had been at the watch tower talking about their recent missions when there was a flash of blinding white light and they were transported to a room with a total of 11 stone slabs, ten of them in a circle and one in the middle.

There was another flash of light that faded to reveal Batman, the Joker, Poison Ive, Two-Face, and Catwoman. It looked like they had been in the middle of a fight when they were transported here. With a silent truce they relaxed their battle stances and looked around.

When Batman's gaze landed on the four league members he walked over and was about to start questioning them but was interrupted by one last flash of light bringing the last of the league members.

" _Now that were all here we can begin," a female voice rang out in the marble room._

The eleven people in the room startled and turned toward the voice. Standing infront of the only door in the room was a beautiful woman with snow white hair and gold eyes.

 _"You are here because we need your help," she continued._

"Who needs our help, and why are the villains here?" Flash asked with a tilt of his head.

 _"We are the Excupitor. The Watchers of the multiverse. Years ago we were told to hide a piece of information that could save the universe from The Interficio, The Destroyers until a time in which it was needed. That time is now," she explained._

"What does that have to do with us?" Catwoman asked.

 _"We hid it in a place that would be near impossible to find and even harder to get to, a place even we can't get to. In the mind of one of you here. In the mind of the one called Batman," she said staring at the man in question._

Everyone turned to look at Batman who's expression hardened into an unreadable mask.

"Why did you hide it there?" The Joker asked with a sneer.

 _"That was the safest place. A place that no one can get to without a guide," she explained._

"Why can't you get it out yourself? Why are we here?" Superman asked.

" _We can't get it because we can't get past his defenses, and even if we did we would be lost in the labyrinth of his mind. You are here because you ten are the closest to him that we could find. You all are the ones he would most like let into his mind," she said._

"What makes you think I would let anyone into my mind?" Batman cut in, speaking up for the first time.

 ** _"Because when we put the information into your mind we got a brief glimpse of your emotions. You are looking for something, something very important to you. If the world is destroyed by the Interficio then so would whatever you are searching for."_**

Batman growled at this, but nodded his consent nonetheless, surprising everyone in the room. What was so important that he would allow someone into his mind?

 ** _"Do the rest of you agree to this? I must warn you that it is extremely dangerous to go into someone's mind, especially his. You could possibly be killed or driven insane,"_ **the woman warned.

The heroes nodded but the villains hesitated.

"What's unit for us?" Poison Ivy asked.

 _"If everything is destroyed then your purpose for existing ceases to exist as well. There would be no plants to protect, jewels to steal, money to collect, or people to make smile. Your existence would be null and void," she answered in the same tone she had used since she appeared._

The villains thought about it and nodded as well.

"Besides who wouldn't want a peak inside the Bats head?" The Joker said with a smile.

 _"Good now Batman lay down on the table in the middle. Everyone else chose from the remaining tables and lay down with your head to the center," the watcher instructed._

Everyone complied, the villains laying together with the Joker and Two-Face on the outside. The Heroes did the same with Superman and Wonder Woman on the outside.

 _"Close your eyes," she instructed Then started chanting. **"Et haec animi decem in peregrinatione ad vespertilio."**_

The marble slabs glowed white then a varying color of light shot out of the ten surrounding tables and into the center one.

 _"Good luck," the beautiful lady whispered before fading away._


	2. The outskirts chapter 2

Chapter 2

No ones POV

The ten woke gradually. Sitting up the looked around. It was the border of Gotham.

"Of course Batman's mindscape would be Gotham," Hawkwoman said while rolling her eyes.

There were a few sounds of agreement, before the sounds of bats drew their attention. A large swarm of bats was coming out of the city towards them. They flew through their group causing them to lift their arms to protect their eyes. When the swarm cleared they could see Batman, though he was a little different than the one that they normally saw. This one was bigger, his fingers shaped like claws, and his teeth like fangs. It was terrifying.

"Batman?!" Green Lantern exclaimed.

"In a way," The Bat replied in a deep gravely voice.

Even that single sentence was intimidating.

"We are here for the information that was left in your mind," Superman said after he gathered enough courage.

"I know, and I am here to give you a warning. Turn back now and you can still get out of here in one piece," the Bat seemed to growl.

"We can't, we need that information," Wonder Woman said definitely, back straight, and her head held high.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," the Bat said. "It is my job to explain some things to you. You will meet two other guides inside the city. Each guide is shaped by the opinions of those around. I, for example, am what most people imagine when they think of the Batman. The three of us are to guide you to the inner part of our mindscape," he explained.

With that he turned around and started walking into the city, uncaring of the others were following or not. The others looked at each other then scrambled to keep up with the Bats long gait.

"Your powers do work here, but they are half as efficient as they are outside of this mind. Joker, Two-Face, and Catwoman are they only ones not effected because like us/me they have no powers," the Bat finished.

They walked in silence for a few minutes before the Bat stopped. Turning his head he gave them a piece of advice, "Don't wander off the path the guides show you. If you do then I make no guarantees that you will be found in time."

With that he vanished in a swarm of bats, leaving as quickly as he came. Looking around they saw that they were infront of a banquet hall. It was lit up, so much so that it almost seemed to glow, a great contrast to the dark and gloomy city around it. There was a soft melody that drifted from the building that grew louder as the door opened and Bruce Wayne stepped out into the gloomy streets.

He looked relatively similar to the one that you saw on television, with a few differences. His hair was wild in a way that increased his charm, he was wearing a suit with the first few buttons on the shirt open and traces of lipstick on the collar, in his hand was a glass that's contents seemed to change every few seconds. All in all he looked like he just walked out of a wild party and looked all the better for it.

"Bruce Wayne?!" Two-Face exclaimed.

Said man smiled, "Hey Harvey. Been awhile hasn't it?"

"What are you doing here?" Harvey (Two-Face) asked, confused.

"Isn't it obvious? He's Batman," Joker almost sighed.

" _Why was everyone so dense?" He thought._

"Got it in one Joker," Bruce said, smile still firmly in place without the slightest waver despite the fact that they were talking about his deepest secret. If anything the smile grew wider.

"You're the second guide," Martian Manhunter guessed.

"Right again," Bruce confirmed.

"Why are you giving your secret identity away so easily?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Because it's not like your not gonna find out anyway. It is hard to keep that kind of secret when you are in my mind. Most of you all already know it as well. All of the heroes know as does the Joker," Bruce answered.

The Joker looked shocked that Batman had known that he knew his secret identity.

"It's not really all that hard to find out. There are very few people in Gotham that have enough money to build all the gadgets Batman has. Cross out the ones involved in illegal activities and all you have left is me," Bruce continued.

"Aren't you worried about them knowing your identity?" Hawkwoman asked looking at the villains.

"Bruce Wayne is nothing more than a mask, of a playboy billionaire. It's as easy to remove as Batman's cowl," he said smile never once leaving his face. "It's a good thing I like alcohol though, it would be rather hard to pull off being a playboy without being able to drink. My personal favorite is Gin."

As he said this the glass in his hand stopped shifting, leaving a cylinder glass of Gin with ice and a lime.

"Well let's get going," Bruce said with a clap of his hands.

He started walking in the same direction the Bat had led them.

"Where are we going?" Superman asked.

"To Arkham," he replied in a cheery voice, not pausing in his stride.

"Why are we going there?" Poison Ivy asked.

"That's where all the Crazies go, don't ya know?" He replied turning around to face us, eyes wide and innocent as he looked at them with a questioning expression.

"Ha! Are you admitting you're crazy, Bats?" The Joker asked gleefully.

"Certifiable," Bruce said as a devilish smirk spread across his face.

That wiped the smile from the Joker's face and sent a wave of unease through everyone.

"Now let's not linger," he said, smile going back to normal as he turned back around and continued walking.

The rest of the journey was spent in a heavy silence. The unease Bruce's smile had given them had not faded in the least bit. It was starting to dawn on them just how dangerous a situation they're in. An insane mind, after all, is much less predictable than a sane one.

"This is your stop. I wish you the best of luck, _you'll need it,"_ the last part was muttered under his breath as he walked away, but was heard by everyone none the less.

They were standing infront of Arkham Asylum. Its metal gates firmly closed. A grey fog covered the building making it appear more sinister than it did in real life. Eerie howls and crazed laughter could be heard from inside.

"Hehehe," an innocent voice giggled from behind them. "You don't want to go in there."

They turned around and saw a child with pitch black hair and piercing blue eyes. The child's hands were covered in blood, his shirt and pants were covered in dirt and splattered with blood. His face was smudged with dirt and stained with tears. It looked like he just came from a brutal murder scene.

"Bruce?" Two-Face asked uncertain.

"Yup, that's me," the little boy replied with a bright smile that didn't belong with the gory image that he made.

"Why do you look like that?" Wonder Woman asked with concern.

"This is what most of the police officers remember when they think about my parents murder," little Bruce replied, his smile seemed eerie in the gloom.

"You were there when they were killed?" Superman asked unbelieving that such a small boy had to witness such an event.

"Yup, I was there from beginning to end. They say the man was a robber you know. They were wrong, though. He had no intention of leaving any of us alive. His eyes were filled with a childish glee as he lifted his gun," little Bruce mimicked a gun with his hands and took aim at Superman, "one," he pretended to shoot the gun then aimed at Wonder Woman, "two" he fired again jerking his hand back like he just fired a gun, then to everyone's surprise aimed one last time at the Joker his smile gone in its place a blank unreadable expression, "three." His voice deepened as he fired one last time straight at the Joker's heart with such seriousness that the Joker actually dodged away like an actual gun was fired, eyes wide and adrenaline pumping.

"It's a good thing I dodged out of the way causing the bullet to miss me and hit the wall behind me."

There was an impact on the brick wall behind the Joker causing everyone to jump. It looked exactly like a bullet had buried itself into the wall.

"When I landed, though, I landed right on my parents cooling corpses, drenching me in their blood. The shooter tried to fire at me again but their gun misfired, and they ran off. That's how the police found me, laying on my parents body, covered in their blood, with tears flowing down my face," little Bruce finished smile returning to his face.

Everyone looked at him in horror. To have to experience something like that at such a young age, it's no wonder he goes out dressed as a bat.

"Are you going in there?" The boy asked pointing at Arkham, interrupting any comments they might have had.

"Yes we are," Green Lantern stated, and the people behind him nodded in agreement.

"And I can't persuade you not to go in?" Little Bruce continued.

"No," It was Hawkwoman who answered this time.

"Then before you go in I should warn you that the people you meet in there will be completely different then the man you know. We were reincarnated into this world, memories intact, sanity not as held together," the boy warned.

The others looked at him in shock. Batman was reincarnated? Is that even possible?

"Don't look at me like that. In this group alone we have three aliens, a person whose power comes from a ring fueled by willpower, and a woman made out of clay and given life to by the gods. Is reincarnation from another world really all that unbelievable?" He deadpaned.

The heroes and villains thought about it and realized that no it's not all that unbelievable.

"Good luck on your journey, and remember don't go off the beaten path," the little boy warned before running into the gray fog.

Taking a deep breath Wonder Woman said with the same graveness of a commander ordering their troops to charge into battle, "Lets go."

With that Wonder Woman and Superman pushed open the gates of Arkham and walked through the fog to whatever may lay behind it. The others followed one by one. When the last person had walked through, the gates closed with a creak and a strange sense of finality.


	3. The begining chapter 3

When the team walked out of the gray fog they were shocked by what they saw. They were standing in front of a grand clock tower with its doors wide open (the ones they just came through) in what looked like a courtyard. Around the towers base was a variety of different colored roses, and vines growing up the side of the tower.

"Where are we?" Wonder Woman Asked.

"You're in my mind. I thought you knew that," a voice said from behind them.

Turning around they stared in confusion at the teenager in front of them. He looked roughly 16 with wild dark brown hair and beautiful indigo eyes that sparked with mischief. He stood 5 feet away from them like he had appeared from thin air. He was leaning towards them with a grin on his face and his head tilted in curiosity.

"Who are you?!" The flash asked.

"What do you mean who am I? This is my head, unless you switched minds when I wasn't looking," the apparent stranger replied.

"Bruce?" Catwoman asked tentatively.

"That's a name I've gone by. As for who I am now," he trailed of as he made a rose appear, "Kaito Kuroba magician extraordinaire at your service."

With a flick of his wrist the flower disappeared. He snapped his fingers and a rose in each of their signature colors appeared on their chests.

"Don't worry Poison Ivy. These flowers are nothing more than a figment of my imagination. No plants were harmed in their creation," the newly dubbed Kaito reassured as Ivy opened her mouth to protest. "These flowers will start to wither the closer you get to a more dangerous part of my mind," Kaito explained his grin growing wider almost predatory.

The heroes and villains shifted uneasily. Despite the grin on his face Kaito radiated danger. Little Bruce was right, this was not the man they knew.

"You feel like the Joker," Wonder Woman said.

The others nodded their heads in agreement. Now that it was pointed out they could clearly see the insanity that was a trademark of the Joker.

"Aww and here I was thinking I was thinking I was one of a kind," Kaito pouted in a teasingly. "Besides I was insane long before he was even born, so shouldn't he remind you of me?"

They decided to pretend that the last few minutes of their conversation didn't happen. It was safer for their sanity.

"Where in your mind are we?" Superman clarified, going back to their earlier question.

"You are at the beginning," Kaito replied. "This is we're many important beginnings happened, from my parents wedding to my own." He looked at the clock tower with soft eyes and a warm smile.

"You were married?" Two-Face exclaimed speaking up for the first time since he found out the identity of the Batman.

"Yes I was," Kaito confirmed, sorrow filling his eyes. "Sadly he died a few years before me."

"He?" Catwomen repeated eyes wide.

"Is that a problem?" Kaito asked eyes narrowing dangerously.

"No. No problem," Catwomen squeaked.

"How did he die?" Superman asked taking pity on the theif.

"He was murdered."

"Oh," was all Superman could say.

"Don't worry! I made sure his murderers knew how displeased I was about that," Kaito reassured cheerfully.

No one looked reassured.

"We should be going now. Places to be things to find and all that."

Kaito turned around and started walking away. The heroes and villains followed him. As they walked their surroundings started to melt away revealing a city that looked like Tokyo. The only difference is that it was deserted. There were no people or any sounds of life. It was unsettling.

"Beautiful isn't it? I grew up here," Kaito informed them, nostalgia in his voice. "It was a wonderful place to live despite the high crime rate."

"How high was it?" The Joker asked out of curiosity.

"High enough to make Gotham look safe."

The heroes cringed. Gotham had the highest crime rate in the United States, despite Batman's and the police's efforts.

Kaito stopped walking and turned to the left. They were infront of an unmarked building except for a strange smiley face with a top hat and a monical. He opened the door and walked in with the team not far behind him.

The building was one long white room filled with display case. In each case was a single jewel, or jeweled item.

"Don't even think about it Catwoman," a smooth voice echoed across the room as Catwoman leaned in to take one of the jewels.

Looking around they saw their guide had disappeared and someone else had taken his place. The man in front of them was the exact opposite of Batman. He was dressed in a white suit with a matching top hat and cape, a blue dress shirt with a red tie, and a monical. The most striking difference was his large mischievous grin.

"You're a version of batsy?" The Joker asked in disbelief.

"Why of course," the man replied politely.

"What's with all the jewels?" Two face asked.

"This is my treasure room," he replied. "I guess I should introduce myself I am the international Phantom Theif 1412 more commonly known as Kaitou KID."


	4. The hall of jewels chapter 4

"Phantom Theif?" Catwoman exclaimed in disbelief. He was a version of batman, the idea that he had been a thief was almost ridiculous.

"The best in the world," KID replied his grin giving nothing away. "It was exhilarating, the danger, the adrenaline. One of the best feelings in the world."

KID stroked one of the cases lovingly, a soft expression on his face.

"Wait what is a phantom theif?" Wonder Woman asked.

"A thief that steals for pleasure not wealth. Usually for a good cause as well," The Martian answered.

Looking at the rows upon rows of jewels (and the occasional odd object in awe Catwoman asked, "You stole all of these?"

"Every one of them," he answered with pride.

Walking over to one of the cases Ivy lightly ran her hand over it. As soon as her finger touched the case everything changed. Snip it's of images flashed around the room. A woman walking confidently across a crowded room with a familiar smirk. A white figure appearing on top of a jewel case with a puff of pink smoke. KID running across a roof, jewel in hand, police on his trail. KID gliding over the city, jewel held up to the moon, with a look of satisfaction and disappointment.

With a gasp Ivy pulled her hand away from the case. Everyone was looking around the room with wide eyes.

"What was that?" Superman asked, breathless.

"That was a few moments of that particular heist," KID answered easily.

"Your memories?" Hawk woman asked startled.

KID looked faintly amused, "Of course, you are in my mind. Did you expect to not encounter memories?"

They could see a few hints of Batman with that sentence. It gave a strange Spence of relief.

"What is your prized jewel?" Catwoman asked completely out of the blue.

"What?" Two face asked.

"His prized jewel. Every theif has one."

At that KID gave a genuine smile. He walked to a case in the corner and opened it. He held the jewel up to see. It was a clear jewel carved to resemble a rose. At first glance there was nothing special about it, then he held it up to the moonlight coming through a window. The room was died a blood red, shapes forming and changing faster than the eye could make out. It was chaos, insanity, beautiful. The group stood hypnotized by the dancing light.

"Stunning isn't it?" KID voice asked softly. "I spent years looking for it. The crying jewel. Named after the one who let sin into the world. Pandora."

After a minute he put the jewel back into the case.

"Let us continue on your journey," he said as he started walking along the rows to the back of the long room. They followed silently.

As they walked they thought about what they had seen so far. Bruce's mind has been strange but so far, despite the warnings they have been given nothing dangerous had happened. Maybe this wouldn't be as hard as they thought. Of course as soon as they thought that KID opened the door.

In front of them was not a Japanese city but a rocky cavern with a bridge suspended over a red river connecting one side with the other.

KID stared grimly at them and yelled over the roar of the river, "This is your last chance to turn around. So far you have seen Kaito the representation of our normal life before I became KID. And me, who despite being a criminal represents childish wonder, joy and adventure. Before that you saw the representations of a mask that we created to play a part, to be the opposite of what we were. To be the serious to our playfulness, the detective to our theif, the moral to our immortality... the hero to our villain."

They stared as KID gave one last heart felt warning.

"The road you will find past that river is a dark and twisted one built with insanity and carved with pain. One you cross that bridge there is no guarantee you will make it back across, and no possibility you'll make it back with your view of me intact. Be warned some things you will see over there will lull you into an uneasy sense of security, don't let your guard down, my defenses won't hesitate to try to tear your mind to pieces."

Green lantern stared down at the red river as he listen to the ominous warning. A suspicion grew in his mind the longest he stared.

"Why is the river red?" He asked.

Dark humor filled KID's face at the question. "Because it's not water it's blood."

With that he disappeared in a puff of pink smoke having delivered the final warning.

They looked at the river with a sense of dread and resignation.

"Do we continue?" Superman asked.

Hawk woman snorted, "Do we really have a choice?"

Stances weary one by one the crossed the bridge to whatever awaited them.

The Joker was the last one to cross. An uncharacteristic frown crossed his face as he gazed down at the bloody river, "None of us are going to like what we find are we?"

In his hand was a wilted rose.


End file.
